U.S. Attorneys, DOJ Join DOT, DHS, White House Fraud Task Force to Crack Down on Trucking Fraud

 Eight U.S. Attorneys and the Department of Justice (DOJ) today joined Secretary Sean P. Duffy of the Department of Transportation (USDOT) and Secretary Markwayne Mullin of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) — as well as Administrator Derek Barrs of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and Vice Chairman Andrew Ferguson of the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud — to announce a historic interagency effort to crack down on fraud in the trucking industry. Federal officials were also joined by Marcus Coleman and his daughter Dalilah, who was critically injured in a 2024 crash with an illegal alien behind the wheel.

“The safety of American roadways affects everyone across the country,” said Attorney General Todd Blanche. “Foreigners and illegal aliens have exploited America’s trucking industry, often putting unqualified, improperly trained, non-English speaking drivers on our highways. Some may be hauling drugs or weapons for international crimes networks. The drivers and companies that allow for this dangerous activity will no longer get a pass. The Department of Justice is proud to join federal, state, and local partners in Joint Task Force Crossroads for America to dismantle the fraud schemes harming American truckers, drivers and community safety. Together, we will prosecute culprits, and protect America’s roads.”

“USDOT has spent the last year-and-a-half strengthening the rules of the road and removing dangerous foreign drivers from our trucking industry,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy. “To fully root out the scourge of fraud, hold criminals accountable, and restore safety, we need the support of federal law enforcement. I am so grateful for President Trump  raising the alarm on this issue, and to Vice President Vance for leading the charge to crack down on fraud nationwide. From states failing to follow the law to shady training schools and illicit companies, together we will tackle every link in the chain.”

“Thanks to the recklessness of sanctuary politicians, there is a growing and alarming trend of illegal aliens being granted commercial driver’s licenses. Many of them don’t speak English or understand the rules of the road, and yet they’re driving among us, endangering our loved ones,” said U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. “As a result, far too many Americans have lost their lives because an illegal alien was behind the wheel. Under the strong leadership of President Trump, DHS and ICE are delivering on our mission to protect Americans by taking these dangerous threats OFF our roadways and getting them OUT of our country. Additionally, our partnership with the Department of Transportation will help root out CDL fraud so that illegal aliens are no longer able to obtain CDLs and put American lives at risk. The Trump Administration will ALWAYS put the American people first.”

“Here’s a basic concept: Americans have a right to feel safe on the roads their taxes pay for. Unfortunately, the previous administration disagreed and turned a blind eye to criminal enterprises that allowed drivers who couldn’t pass a basic English test to obtain a commercial driver’s license,” said White House Fraud Task Force Executive Director Scott Brady. “That ends today thanks to the leadership of Vice President Vance, who is focused on protecting American lives on our nation’s roadways.”

“Criminals who exploit our nation’s transportation systems through fraud and deception are not only breaking the law–they are putting the safety and security of the American public at risk,” said Homeland Security Investigations Acting Executive Associate Director John A. Condon. “HSI will bring the full weight of our investigative authorities, financial expertise and global law enforcement capabilities to this historic, whole-of-government effort. Alongside our federal partners we will aggressively pursue the individuals and criminal networks that use fraudulent documents, illicit financial schemes and other unlawful means to circumvent our laws and profit at the expense of public safety.”

The U.S. Attorneys joining Secretaries Duffy and Mullin and others to make today’s announcement were:

• U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon for the Eastern District of Michigan;
• U.S. Attorney Adam Mildred for the Northern District of Indiana;
• U.S. Attorney Tim Verhey for the Western District of Michigan;
• U.S. Attorney David Toepfer for the Northern District of Ohio;
• U.S. Attorney Dominick Gerace for the Southern District of Ohio;
• U.S. Attorney Tom Wheeler for the Southern District of Indiana;
• U.S. Attorney Steven Weinhoeft for the Southern District of Illinois; and
• U.S. Attorney Greg Gilmore for the Central District of Illinois.

Building on Vice President Vance’s agenda to root out fraud across the country, the coalition announced the Joint Task Force Crossroads of America — a multi-state partnership to secure our highways and strengthen border security. Partnering across federal, state, and local agencies, the Task Force will target criminal networks and fraud to reduce highway fatalities and protect Americans.

Actions Include:

DOJ

• Formation of Joint Task Force Crossroads of America to safeguard the nation’s highway system and strengthen the security of our borders.

USDOT

• Emergency removal of 110 commercial driver’s license (CDL) schools associated with more than 5,000 drivers who failed English language proficiency tests
• Launching a nationwide audit of third-party CDL skills testers and states’ oversight of the testers 
• Results from 40-state investigation of additional training schools 

DHS

• Synchronized single-day sweep targeting more than 200 training schools across 23 states
• Joint coordination with USDOT
• HSI and ICE updates on ongoing investigations targeting CDL-related businesses and schools

This unprecedented interagency campaign represents the Trump Administration's most aggressive effort in history to root out fraud, waste, and abuse in trucking. By aligning USDOT’s regulatory authorities with federal law enforcement operations, the administration is taking aggressive action to safeguard American roads against unqualified and unvetted illegal truckers.

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE OPERATIONS

Today, the Department of Justice is announcing the formation of the Joint Task Force Crossroads of America. This multi-state Task Force is being formed to safeguard the nation’s highway system and strengthen the security of our borders.  The Task Force teams up the United States Attorney’s Offices in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio with our state and local enforcement, prosecutors, and federal partners including the Department of Transportation, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, FBI, DEA, HSI, ICE, and ATF.

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION OPERATIONS

In the past year-and-a-half, USDOT has knocked over 28,000 drivers off our roads for failing to speak English, forced states to cancel over 30,000 licenses illegally issued to foreign drivers, and purged over 8,000 unqualified training schools from our FMCSA registry. In July, the Department announced a partnership with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to further crack down on fraudulent and illegal practices in CDL schools.

Today, FMCSA announced three enforcement actions to stop fraudulent commercial driver training and testing practices that have allowed drivers not proficient in English to operate commercial vehicles.

Action I: The Emergency Removal of Training Providers

FMCSA reviewed roadside inspection records for commercial drivers cited for not meeting English Language Proficiency (ELP) requirements. The agency then compared those drivers with records in the Training Provider Registry (TPR) to identify training providers that repeatedly certified drivers who did not meet federal qualification standards.

FMCSA will now execute the emergency removal of more than 110 Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) providers from the TPR. These providers must immediately cease all operations as a training provider, including administering curricula, utilizing facilities for instruction, and conducting behind-the-wheel training.

Action II: Performing Targeted Investigations and Proposing Removals

In July, FMCSA sent 175 investigators in 40 states to conduct nearly 400 investigations of ELDT providers. The investigations uncovered several serious cases of non-compliance:

• Inadequate Space: The range did not have adequate space to complete necessary maneuvers.
• Unlicensed Instructors: The instructor did not have the correct license to conduct the training.
• Missing Documentation: The facility did not maintain records of any assessments.
• Fraudulent Classrooms: The training provider claimed their classroom was inside of a school bus in the back of a trailer when asked about where their classroom instruction took place.

These targeted efforts resulted in more than 160 notices of proposed removals from FMCSA’s TPR. Drivers certified by these 160+ ELDT providers are linked to 239 commercial motor vehicle-related fatalities.

Action III: Conducting a Nationwide Audit of Third-Party Skills Testers

CDL skills tests must be given in English, yet more than 28,000 drivers have been placed out of service for ELP violations since June 2025, showing clear compliance failures among third-party testers and a failure by states to conduct effective oversight of the third-party testers.

FMCSA can hold states accountable for authorizing testers who fail federal requirements. If a state’s CDL program is non-compliant, the following process applies:

• Annual Program Review: FMCSA conducts a yearly review of each state's CDL program.  
• Preliminary Finding: If deficiencies are found, FMCSA issues a formal notification of noncompliance to the state's Governor and State Driver Licensing Agency (SDLA).
• State's Response Window: The state has 30 days to create a mutually agreed-upon Corrective Action Plan (CAP) detailing how it will fix the issues.
• Final Determination & Consequences: If the state fails to correct the problems, FMCSA issues a final determination of substantial noncompliance. This triggers a mandatory withholding of federal highway funds, starting at up to 4% in the first year and increasing to 8% for each subsequent year of noncompliance.
• Decertification: For serious issues, FMCSA may begin the decertification process. A decertified state cannot issue, renew, transfer, or upgrade any CDLs.

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY OPERATIONS

HSI, in conjunction with U.S. Attorney Office and U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is leading a national criminal investigation initiative targeting public safety vulnerabilities and criminal activity in the Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) and commercial trucking sector. The initiative focuses on CDL fraud, unauthorized employment, identity-document fraud, financial crime, money laundering, labor exploitation, and potential links to human smuggling, drug trafficking, and cartel activity. 

HSI activity includes:

• On August 31, 2026, HSI will conduct a synchronized surge at more than 200 driving schools across 23 Special Agent in Charge offices, targeting CDL-related businesses, schools, carriers, and employers. This surge will consist in the service of Notice of Inspections across 23 states. 
• HSI, in coordination with USDOT FMCSA and USDOT OIG, disseminated over 1,000 CDL-related business leads stemming from known or suspect business engaged in unsafe practices on the roadways and transportation-sector exploitation.
• Field offices have issued more than 80 Notices of Inspection, opened multiple investigations, and identified indicators of fraudulent CDL issuance, unauthorized employment, identity fraud, shell companies, and broader transportation-sector exploitation.

Ongoing HSI Investigations include:

• Unauthorized Employment: HSI is investigating a trucking company suspected of using B1/B2 visa holders for domestic cargo transport. To date, three drivers have been arrested and several firearms seized. 
• DMV Employee CDL Fraud: HSI is investigating state motor vehicle employees suspected of accepting payments to help illegal aliens bypass driver’s license and CDL requirements. Investigators have arrested numerous subjects for official misconduct and misappropriation of state identification documents. 
• Fatality-Linked I-9 Enforcement: HSI investigated a freight company linked to the fatality of a state law enforcement officer.
• CDL Medical Certification Fraud: HSI and USDOT-OIG are investigating medical practitioners suspected of improperly certifying medical exams required for illegal aliens to obtain CDLs.
• Labor Exploitation: HSI is investigating companies exploiting visa holders, engaging in visa fraud, labor exploitation, financial crimes, and drug trafficking associated with CDL businesses. 

Planned and ongoing Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) field activity includes:

• Miami Field Office: Coordinating a joint operation during the week of August 24 with Florida DOT, FMCSA, and the Office of Commercial Vehicle Enforcement.
• Chicago Field Office: Coordinating a joint operation with Indiana State Police from August 25-27 focused on weigh stations and including ERO/DOT officers.
• National Surge Operation: ERO anticipates conducting a nationwide surge operation on August 31, focusing on Maine, Michigan, and Wisconsin by coordinating a joint enforcement and inspection response with USDOT, leveraging both ERO officers and FMCSA-certified inspectors to conduct commercial vehicle enforcement activity and inspection checkpoints at separate locations.

ERO is also conducting national and field-level enforcement efforts related to CDL holders and commercial transportation activity, including:

• Operation ICE Wall: A multi-stage enforcement operation targeting trucking companies and drivers with final orders, prior removals, or reinstatements of prior removal orders.
• Operation Guardrail: An initiative focused on illegal aliens holding commercial driver’s licenses.
• Operation Freightliner: An ERO Public Safety and Partnership Division-led operation across ERO areas of responsibility with active 287(g) partners. This operation uses an intergovernmental approach, coordinating with federal and 287(g) partners to locate, interdict, and identify aliens operating commercial vehicles in violation of the law.

The Task Force seeks to enhance roadway safety; reduce fatalities, serious injuries, and criminal activity; deter illegal trucking practices; promote consistent, data‑driven enforcement strategies across jurisdictions; and hold accountable those who would harm the United States and its citizens.

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/us-attorneys-and-department-justice-join-departments-transportation-and-homeland-security